39 Ways To Save: One Fab Day Wedding Budget Tips

Your wedding day, a day of romance, love, friends and family and all things optimistic and beautiful. But as almost all couples can testify, although wedding prep is full of fun stuff, weddings are expensive and there's still no getting away from the nitty-gritty of the wedding budget. While the main objective is to have a day that reflects you and your partner, it can often be harder than a Rubik's cube to juggle all the different costs to make it happen. So we've put our thinking caps on and put together 39 Money-Saving Wedding Budget Tips to help you get the most for your money...

Our top tip? Prioritisewhat you really want, and what is most important for you and your partner. Are you totally foodies? Splurge on the catering! Music more your thing? Make sure to secure a fab band and DJ. Or are you all about the style? Then the dress and décor is your big spending point. Spend on what is important to you, and cut costs on things you don't mind too much about. Hopefully this will help you identify some places you can save a few sponds...

The Biggie: How To Save On Your Wedding Venue

1. Off-Peak Bargains - Choose Your Wedding Date Wisely

Most venues offer great deals for mid-week weddings, as well as off-season dates (Off-peak wedding times, especially November, early December (not Christmas time though!), January and February can offer great value). Contact any possible wedding venue choices and ask about their different options.

2. Pick A Venue That Reflects Your Style

Think ahead, and save yourself money and Pinterest heartache, by picking a venue with interesting décor you love and that suits the kind of wedding you would like. The less you have to do to "decorate", the more you will save on the little bits and pieces. A chic restaurant is a great option for this.

3. Cut the Guest List

Not the most politically fun thing to do, but if you're serious about saving the number one thing you can do is to cut the number of guests you're having. The reception (venue, food, drink) is going to be about 50% of your budget so if you want to cut costs, cut the head count. You can always invite people to a get-together in the pub, or the afters if you would like to include them. And these days, people are more understanding than years ago - going to a wedding costs the guests a lot too remember!

Some Tips for Saving on Wedding Stationery

4. Printables: The Easy Way to Gorgeous Invitations

For super cheap and easy décor and stationery look to printables. Our own Fingerprint Tree is a great multi-tasker and you can find a wealth of gorgeous be my bridesmaid cards, table planners, labels, signage and table numbers online. Alternatively if you or your partner are skilled designers, design your own stationery and get them printed at your local printer.

5. Scribe Your Own

Go full old-school and get out your prettiest pens. Self-scribed stationery is an easy way to cut several hundreds of euros off your bill, and can be really cute and personal.

6. Email The Invitations

A controversial one, especially with parents and older guests, but if you're on a tight budget, you have to look for simple savings and cutting down on design, printing and postage will save you a few hundred euro. Opt for one of the printable designs online and email it on from a specific email address (free from Hotmail, Gmail or Yahoo)

7. Ditch the RSVP Cards

Adding RSVP cards and stamped envelopes to the wedding invitations is adding extra cost, and if you just include a phone number and email address, no one will even notice the difference.

Don't Go (Too) Crazy on Décor

8. Pick & Choose Your DIY Projects Wisely

Don’t get overwhelmed in jam jars and bunting and take on DIY if you’re not creative. Instead, pick one area of your wedding that you can DIY – whether it be your favours, ceremony programs, escort cards, or cake – and focus on doing that well. You will save on cash, stress and paper cuts, trust us! If you do decide to go DIY you'll need to hit up our top 10 DIY Stores.

9. Don't Get Carried Away With The Little Extras

Don’t get carried away with extras - prioritise, do you really need a sweet table, dessert bar, photobooth, individual place cards, etc. etc? As pretty as they are, more often than not it's only you and your partner who will notice these little extras.

10. Dump the Wedding Favours (if you're not into them)

Another one that surprises the more traditional parents, but wedding favours are very much an "extra" these days, and at a minimum of €2 a pop (even the homemade ones) for 100 guests that's a couple of hundred euro you could spend elsewhere. Also, they often get left behind and if you've made them by hand, you (or Mum's) feelings might be hurt...

11. Think of Decor as an Investment

When buying wedding décor, consider whether you will want it as a permanent fixture in your home or is it going to end up being dumped in the garden shed, or put up on eBay? If it's something you're going to treasure, then it's a good idea, if it's just clutter, then consider hiring or borrowing, which leads me to...

12. Ask Your Florist for Decor

Ask your florist what decor they have hidden away that you might hire or borrow, they always have a shed-load of decorative items from lanterns and vases, to bottles and bowls, you never know what secret treasure might bring your look together.

Save Cash with a Few Little Tweaks with the Flowers

13. Reuse & Recycle

Don't be afraid to multi-task your flowers from the ceremony space right through to your reception, those pew ends or lanterns can be brought with the groomsmen (or a good friend) and reinstalled on the tables or in the entrance hall.

14. Stick with One Flower

Flowers are sold in bulk, and the more types you have the more the cost goes up. So opt for a bouquet and arrangements made with just one type of flower - you've seen the arrangements of bunches of hydrangea or lots of lavender, it's simple, chic, and will save you a fortune compared to elaborate arrangements with 12 different blooms. (FYI: single colour bouquets are also a big trend for 2018!)

15. Pick Flowers That Are In Season

Every flower has a "proper" season when they should be in bloom, but nowadays many are available all year round, that is they're being grown on the other side of the world, which makes them.... expensive! Every florist will be able to advise the best time of year for your favourite florals. Staying within season for your bouquets will save both hassle and money - and it's way better for the environment!

16. A Beautiful Budget Bouquet

Baby’s breath, or to give it it's proper name, Gypsophila, has always been known throughout the floral world as a cheap filler but is now commonly used on its own. A really pretty flower, for some inspiration check out our Gypsophilia budget wedding ideas. Foliage is another growing trend for chic, budget bouquets.

Wedding Catering: Keeping the Budget Sweet

17. Opt For A Single Tiered Wedding Cake

Go for quality over quantity and have a stylish and delicious single tiered wedding cake - here's lots of gorgeous ones to inspire you!

18. Fake The Wedding Cake

If a tall traditional work of art is your idea of a wedding cake but you don't have the budget, then a really easy trick for creating the illusion on a smaller budget is to include some fake layers (made of styrofoam decorated as normal) to make it more impressive. You could even have a complete fake cake, and serve slices of simple iced cake instead. Talk to your wedding cake baker - they know this trick well!

19. Or Do it Yourself (sorta')

Unless you're a professional, we don't really encourage baking your own wedding cake, you've too much to do! But if a good friend or family member is a pro, and wants to contribute, then making your own cake can save substantially.

20. Nice, Simple and Store-Bought Treats

If wedding cake isn't a priority to you or your other half, then there are great options available to buy in shops. Good old Marks & Spencer often have a tasty selection and was the choice for real wedding couples Dan and Carolyn and Georgie and Ben.

21. Stick with Seasonal

Applying the same principle as with flowers - stick with wedding food choices that are in season and don't go looking for massive air mile stuff. This will save you time and money, and local and seasonal will taste better. Lamb in winter should be a no go, similarly fresh berries for your desserts would work much better in summer.

22. You Don't Have to Have a Sit Down Meal

If you're having a more relaxed wedding day, then why not opt for a buffet style meal, a bbq or a picnic? Informal dining is really popular now, and the options have become a lot more sophisticated, less courses means less cost. Check out these cool food truck options for inspiration.

Wedding Style on a Budget

23. Grab a Bargain at a Sample Sale

Sample sales really are a (very glamorous) bargain hunters dream with savings of up to 70% on designer dresses. Lots of lovely brides we know with upcoming nuptials will be rocking designer sample sale beauties. Follow your favourite designers and boutiques on social media, sign up for their email newsletters and keep up to date with the latest sales over on our event calender, and save yourself hundreds.

24. Find a Wedding Dress on the High Street

High street is another great choice - just look at stunning real wedding bride Sarah in Ted Baker. Luckily for brides this season white is bang on trend, so get looking ladies, and keep an eye out for our upcoming posts on the best places to shop.

25. Rent a Gown

Renting is another great option if you're after something particularly high end. For a list of our favourite wedding dress rental boutiques in Ireland check out our To Have & To Hire Wedding Dress Rental Guide. Imagine having your dream wedding dress for as little as €50?!

26. Loved by Another... Second Hand Wedding Dresses

Specialist charity shops and pre-loved boutiques are another great budget wedding option, helping you find your dream dress for as little as €100. If you're not sure where to look, we've gathered a list of our favourites in Ireland right here.

27. Accessorise With Family Heirlooms

Like lots of our real wedding brides, you can bring a borrowed element into your bridal look. Parents' or grandparents' jewellery and accessories can be beautiful and you can be sure nobody else has the same piece. Your 'something borrowed' will save you a few (hundred) euro on jazzing up the dress.

28. Groomswear On A Budget

Hiring a suit is a really easy option (The Formal Suite in Dublin has a great selection). Alternatively Next, Topman, ASOS and Zara have great options for less than €150 and tend to have more modern and stylish options.

29. Hit the High Street for Shoes

Let's face it, if you're going to wear a long gown, your guests won’t even see your shoes, they'll be looking at the dress, and if it's outside they're going to get wrecked. Pick a high street pair (Naoise paid €29 for hers), and you'll save loads. If you are set on designer heels, don't choose white satin, pick a pair you can wear again, and again, and again...

The Bridal Party Bargains: Bridesmaids & Groomsmen

30. Limit Your Numbers

Do you really need a team of bridesmaids? Limit the number in your bridal party to make buying bridesmaid dresses and makeup more manageable - a simple way to keep numbers low is to stick to your family.

31. Affordable and Wearable (Again)

Whether you have one or ten, your bridesmaids will still need some pretty dresses! For cost effective options look to the high street or Kildare Village fashion outlet is a great option, with up to 60% off labels such as Coast and Ted Baker. If you prefer the vintage look Maggie Molly hand-makes dresses in vintage prints for €90.

32. Rent The Runway

As with your wedding dress, renting is a good option if you can't justify spending lots on a bunch of high end dresses, but still want a fashion forward look. You can rent from as little as €50 per dress. You'll find our favourite rental spots here.

Mixing it Up: Options for the Entertainment on a Budget

33. DIY Music

Professional music not top of your list? Use an iPod or Spotify playlist for your reception music, but make sure to enlist a friend to monitor it for the evening to eliminate any fighting over how much "I hate that song". Follow our Spotify playlists where we've done the hard work for you!

34. Go Social with the Photobooth

A photo booth is great fun, but can be costly. For a DIY versionhead to a party supplies store to pick up some props and masks (Tiger usually have a good selection). Then just invite your guests to take their own snaps - you could create your own Instagram hashtag to collect the photos, or use one of these handy apps or wedding websites. (Hidden Cost Alert! If you're opting for a Polaroid camera be warned the camera film can be pricey.)

35. Be Careful With Your Drinks

Instead of offering a drink for a toast (a specific order for each guest) just keep the wine flowing - people won’t notice the difference at the time, as long as they've a drink in their hands, and you will definitely notice the difference on the bar bill!

Getting There in Style Save on Transport

36. Travel in Style (as a Wedding Gift)

Transport can often be a forgotten expense, if having a particular car isn't important to you ask a friend or family member with a fancy car to help you out on the day; you'll save money, they'll provide a unique wedding gift, everybody wins.

38. Have A Mini-Moon

Mini-moons are, as the name would suggest, a shorter break away after your wedding. Cities are particularly popular for a mini-moon, our top choice being New York (where Naoise went, Susan went to Rome). And they cost far less than two weeks in the Seychelles, you can do that later because...

39. Delayed Gratification

You don't have to have the honeymoon straightaway. If you have your heart set on a tropical getaway, enjoy your wedding, save a little and get a better deal at a different time of year. That way you also have something amazing to look forward to down the line.

Think Value Not Cost

Ultimately, this is list is just an indicator of things you could do, it's important not to scrimp on every single thing, but to make savings in areas that are not that important to you, and keep your hard-earned cash to spend on what you will enjoy and remember forever.

Of course this is not a definitive list, have you come across other helpful hints and tips? We'd love to hear them and we can add them in!